The Democratic Front (TDF), a pro-democracy group, has described the repair and reopening of the Lagos-Kano railway line for freight operations as a major boost for the economy.

The TDF said this in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Danjuma Mohammed, and Secretary, Wale Adedayo, issued on Tuesday in Abuja.

It said the restart of services on the railway line was the culmination of silent works by the President Bola Tinubu administration to get things done with minimum fuss.

"We laud and celebrate the completion of repair works and reopening of the long-abandoned Lagos-Kano railway line by the administration of President Tinubu.

"Our joy and excitement can only be understood within the context of the memorable contributions of the 1,132km railway line to the economic, social, political and cultural development of Nigeria.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the iconic railway line was the bedrock of Nigeria's cash crop exports to the outside world under.

"The colonial administrations from 1898 to decades after the country's independence in October 1960," the statement reads in part.

It noted that aside from the Rivers Niger and Benue which were natural pivots in the making of Nigeria's geo-political circumstances, the Lagos-Kano Railway Line was a major connector for trade. (NAN)